A progressive jackpot game is an auxiliary game to a casino game in which an extra bet is placed at the time of placing a normal bet for the casino game. If the casino game player obtains a predetermined combination of cards or the like, and the player has decided to participate in the progressive jackpot game, then the player wins a portion of the progressive jackpot. The jackpot is progressive because it increases in value as players contribute to it by participating with the extra bet from one round or hand of the main game to the next. The extra bet is a fixed amount.
An appeal of the progressive jackpot is that an additional chance to win is presented in which gaming skill of the player or dealer is not an issue. For example, in a poker card game, the progressive jackpot player can win if he or she has any one of a predetermined number of high scoring hands. Usually, these high scoring hands would result in a win at the poker game. However, whether or not the high scoring hand will beat all other hands at the table is not important since it will qualify for a progressive jackpot win. Moreover, a player can only win in poker in proportion to his bet. The progressive jackpot game allows a player to bet modestly and yet win a substantial prize if his hand turns out to be high scoring, provided that he continues to place the small extra bet to participate in the progressive jackpot.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,041 to Jones et al. describes a progressive jackpot gaming method and apparatus in which winner selection is based solely on possession of any one of a few predetermined high scoring card arrangements by a participant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,142 to Breeding describes a method and apparatus for a wagering game involving an auxiliary wager. The auxiliary wager is based on each player placing an additional gaming token on one of seven additional wager placing indicators in an additional wagering area provided at each player position. The additional wager placing indicators represent the various player positions. As part of the principal game, a random selection of a player takes places before commencing the principal casino game (e.g. in pai gow poker, the player to be dealt cards first is selected by random selection using dice or the like). If any given player places his or her token on an additional wager placing indicator representing the player position randomly selected, then the given player wins a prize in the auxiliary game. In Breeding, the method involves each player participating in the auxiliary game choosing which one of the player positions will be lucky and be chosen to be the first player position to be dealt cards in the principal game, and then placing the additional wager in the corresponding additional wager placing indicator. The additional wagering opportunities in Breeding are based on random events intrinsic to the principal casino game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,219 to Marnell, II et al. describes an apparatus and method for playing an electronic poker game in which a bonus prize is awarded if a player's hand wins when a bonus symbol appears on one of the cards making up the winning combination of cards in the hand. A random bonus signal generator replaces at random card face images with the corresponding value card face image including the bonus symbol. The random replacement may be limited to only one card (e.g. the Queen of diamonds) with odds of replacement less than unity, or a plurality of cards may be subject to replacement with lower odds. Since the bonus symbol appears at the time the cards are dealt, the player must decide how to play the principal casino game based on whether a bonus prize in the auxiliary game is possible by keeping (and not discarding) the card or cards having the bonus symbol when attempting to form the highest possible ranking hand. Marnell, II et al. provides an electronic poker game which presents new strategy opportunities to a player, thereby increasing the mentally challenging aspects of a poker game. However, the auxiliary game in Marnell, II et al. changes the nature and strategies involved in playing the principal casino game, which can be upsetting to players familiar and comfortable with the strategies involved in playing the principal casino game.